ALBUQUERQUE, N.M.—Firefighters banked on cooler temperatures and slightly less gusty winds Monday for help in slowing wildfires burning around New Mexico, as the state’s top land manager issued an open-ended ban to prevent fires on millions of acres of state trust land.

The ban announced Monday by Land Commissioner Ray Powell was simple and straight forward: No fireworks, open fires or smoking until further notice.

The ban covers the state’s 13 million acres, or more than 20,300 square miles, of trust land.

“The severe drought, high winds and dense fuel loads are ingredients for catastrophic fires throughout New Mexico,” Powell said, adding that trust lands can’t afford to be damaged since they provide about $500 million in annual support to public schools, universities and hospitals in the form of leases, rents, royalties and other fees.

Several hundred fire starts have been reported around the state and more than 600,000 acres have been blackened by fire since the beginning of the year, according to state forestry officials.

In northern New Mexico, smoke rose from the mountains north of Santa Fe for a third afternoon as the Pacheco Canyon fire marched toward the rugged Pecos Wilderness. But unlike previous days, the column of smoke was less ominous Monday afternoon.

“It’s hazy and drifting up with a little bit of puff sometimes. Because of that, it looks like the fire intensity is a lot less than what it was yesterday and that’s a good sign,” said fire information officer Earl Cordes.

The fire broke out Saturday afternoon. By Sunday, it had spread from 900 to 3,000 acres, and fire officials suspected the acreage Monday was higher but gusty winds had prevented them from being able to fly over the fire Sunday night to conduct more accurate mapping.

After a day of experiencing gusts up to 50 mph, crews on Monday were looking to take advantage of slightly better conditions. Gusts were expected around 30 mph.

Water-dropping helicopters and air tankers were poised to help the ground crews as long as the wind cooperated. But Cordes noted that resources have been thin as fires continue to burn and threaten homes in neighboring Arizona and elsewhere in the West.

“We’re going to work on the left flank and the right flank but we’re going to let it burn into the wilderness. We’ll deal with it there when we have more resources,” he said.

No homes were in the path of the flames, but a power line in the area remained threatened Monday and was shut off.

Along the New Mexico-Colorado border, more progress was made as crews had contained 90 percent of a wildfire that had closed part of Interstate 25 and forced the evacuations of several hundred residents for a few days last week.

The Track fire had burned about 27,800 acres since apparently being started June 12 by engine exhaust from an all-terrain vehicle trespassing on railroad property.

Officials said all evacuations near Raton were lifted and the highway department said it raised the speed limit Monday back to 65 mph on a stretch of I-25 between Raton and Trinidad, Colo.

In southern New Mexico, Ruidoso police said they were interviewing “persons of interest” related to a fire that started last week in a wooded neighborhood on the village’s southeast side and quickly consumed nine homes. At one point, some 300 homes had been threatened.

No arrests have been made and no charges have been filed, but Lt. Ray Merritt said it was clear that the fire was human caused.

In the bootheel of southwestern New Mexico, crews were trying to get a handle on a 5,000-acre fire that was moving across desert brush and grassland. The Hachita fire had damaged one structure, and officials said 13 more were considered threatened.

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